This should be of interest to anyone that rides in the Peak District, local or otherwise. Access and trailbuilding group Ride Sheffield have been in touch to say that they need your support to help make the Sheffield Rights of Way team reconsider planned surfacing work on the Jumbles Road/Houndkirk byway in the Peak District.

Red hightlights are where the work is planned....

The notice, posted by the Sheffield Council Rights of Way team, says that they plan to improve the surface of three different sections across the moor, resurfacing the existing path with locally sourced crushed gritstone, in an attempt to slow down erosion and improve the drainage.

However, Ride Sheffield are campaigning to make the council reconsider. They believe the surfacing work will destroy the character (and fun) of an archetypal Peak District Bridleway, something they say has happened to other trails in the area.

“Not only will this detract from the natural, visual environment, but it will also reduce the enjoyment of the Byway by walkers, mountain bikers and fell runners.”

“We are aware that some work needs to be done to improve drainage as well as improving access for all, but we feel that it can be done in a far more sensitive and considered manner.”

They have created a petition in the hope that if enough riders express their concerns over the surfacing work, the Council will reconsider and attempt to carry out the work in a more sympathetic manner.

If you agree with this, they’d like you to sign the petition, which can be found below.

We’ve lost a few a few local bridleways to insensitive resurfacing work, so a positive outcome to this could help set a precedent that work to control erosion and drainage can be carried out with the input of all interested parties. Get involved!

You Might Like…

22 responses

It’s a Byway Singletrack people, ah well at least Ride Sheffield seem to know the difference. Get over it, once the work is done give it a few years it will back to it’s eroded self for all to enjoy! Not all user groups share this view and the Highway Authority do have a legal duty to make the byway fit for purpose and keep it maintained.

“give it a few years it will back to it’s eroded self for all to enjoy”
“Highway Authority do have a legal duty to make the byway fit for purpose and keep it maintained”
Except if it done to the same ‘standard’ as the precious work up there it will be littered with fist sized stones that make for a much less predictable surface to bike riding/walking/horseriding on

“Many thanks to all that signed the Houndkirk petition and wrote letters and generally offered support.
Unfortunately after only a week of the notice being up and with no warning the work has been done!
Words cannot describe right now. Will give more data late

“It’s a BOAT? Why not take a 4X4 up there and drive on it until it’s “improved” back to its old self?” Well, motorcrossers and 4×4′s get on my pip at times (as I’m sure I do to some other trail users!), but I’m sure a few motorcross bikes could ‘consolidate’ the new surface a bit ….er…not that I’m encouraging a motoX owning MTBer to go up there and create a couple of new lines o’course….cough!

Courses for horses..?
One of the difficulties is that everyone has a legitimate beef when it comes to access. Wheelchair users to walkers and fell runners, one man’s challenge is anothers barrier. One has to consider what else is available locally.
However the speed of the LA’s action may have been provoked/precipitated by the build up of comment, so maybe we ought to use reverse psycology in getting other works done?

The biggest issue and argument for us (Ride Sheffield) is not the ride experience of the trail, but the fact that making it uninteresting for 4×4 and MXers will only displace them to less used trails in the area. If these then get trashed will they rise to the top of the “to sanitise” list? We had a long discussion with the ROW officer involved a few months ago and after making lots of suitable noises about taking our comments on board etc, has obviously ignored the common sense approach.

All this is going to achieve is increased use of footpaths by bikers. You will not get wheelchair users and casual walkers using the trails. Fell runners will find it just as dull as we do. How will the users who this ‘improvement’ has been done in the name of to know the track has been resurfaced such that they can use it? It’s an absolute nonsense, but then we all know that access laws in this country are.
I make no apology for using footpaths anymore. We’re being left little choice.

“We had a long discussion with the ROW officer involved a few months ago and after making lots of suitable noises about taking our comments on board etc, has obviously ignored the common sense approach.” Baldysquirt

That says it all doesn’t it? The authorities implementing and enforcing an access system so manifestly not fit for purpose really shouldn’t be surprised when ‘after making lots of suitable noises’ about respecting rights of way, cyclists give up and follow Pook’s sensible lead in using footpaths. 2 steps forward 3 steps back.

So the resurfacing of one very small section of one byway (for drainage and erosion purposes, not wheelchairs access) gives mountain bikers the excuse to use hundreds of miles of footpath that they have no legal right to because they are left little choice while worrying that crossers and 4×4 users will move onto some where else they are perfectly entitled to be.

Plus I notice no mention is given to the council agreeing to a bridalway as well as approving two additional mountain bike only trails in the plantation next to this byway which will provide a safer, more fun route but also increase the milage of trails in the area by significantly more than the milage that has been resurfaced.